The pianist’s fingers slowly danced across the keys, while the drummer laid down a soft backing. But it was the guitarist who proved to be the main attraction, fingers expertly strumming the strings of his instrument. Kyoko sat at the counter of Sho’s, a cigarette dangling from her lips. Her eyes were closed as she let the music flow through her, helping relaxation roll over her.
“Want another?”
She opened her eyes and saw Sho standing over her. Kyoko nodded and slid the empty tumbler towards him. Sho took the glass, dumping out the water and ice, then filled it with fresh cubes and poured a double of Johnnie Walker Black, his years of experience making him able to perfectly eyeball the amount.
Kyoko picked up the glass and sipped the scotch. That first sip, before the ice had a chance to cool down the drink, always had the most bite. Setting the glass down, Kyoko put the cigarette in her mouth and drew in the smoke. With the cigarette between her index and middle finger, she gestured towards the band on the stage.
“See, now this is music.”
Sho smiled at her. He had a glass of water behind the bar and he raised it towards her. Kyoko clinked the side of her glass against his.
“Somethin’ bothering you, Kyoko?”
“This case…” Kyoko shook her head and took another sip. The ice had done its work, significantly cooling the scotch so it now went down extremely smooth. “Feels like I’m running in place, Sho. I had two people that I thought for sure had done it. But now, I don’t know. They’re both suspicious, but…”
“But who isn’t,” said Sho.
“Hey, you got contacts in the music business, right?”
Sho gave a nod. “Yeah, of a sort. Why?”
“Know anything about Star Rise Entertainment or Jo Miyashita?”
Sho leaned against the back counter and lit a cigarette, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to remember. “Star Rise, I’ve heard of. Aren’t they one of those talent agencies?”
Kyoko nodded. “Mostly deal in those pop idol groups, yeah.”
He took the cigarette from his mouth. “Jo Miyashita… The name sounds familiar. But sorry, no. My friends in the biz aren’t really in the same circles as Star Rise.”
Kyoko could tell that Sho had noticed something, because he stood up straight and set a clean tumbler on the counter beside her. Without a word, he filled it up with a double, straight. A hand fell on Kyoko’s shoulder and she turned her head to see Takeshi Hashimoto standing behind her.
“Naka-chan, good to see you.” Hashimoto took the seat beside her and accepted the drink Sho gave him. With the glass raised in the air, Hashimoto smiled at the bartender. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.” Sho excused himself and tended to some customers at the other end of the bar, leaving Kyoko and her mentor alone.
“I hope risking my neck for you led to something useful,” said Hashimoto, lighting a cigarette.
“All I really know is that Yuki Ichikawa probably had nothing to do with Akane Suzuki’s death,” said Kyoko.
“Maybe it really was a suicide.”
“Maybe. But something just doesn’t feel right.” Kyoko sipped her scotch. “I found three used condoms in her apartment and trash collection was the morning she died. I’ve identified two of the men, but there’s a third unaccounted for. And that third one may have been the last person to see her alive. Then there’s the matter of the guy at Ichikawa’s apartment.”
“What guy?” asked Hashimoto.
“Looked like bad news. He dropped off some pills, but Ichikawa said he never used.”
“Could be lying?”
Kyoko sighed. “I don’t think so. I’ve got a pretty good bullshit detector. He doesn’t set it off.”
The band began a new song. Hashimoto glanced over his shoulder at the stage for a moment, then took a sip of his drink. “They’re pretty good.”
“Yeah, they are.”
“Ichikawa’s apartment. You were trying to track him down?”
She nodded.
“And this guy…what makes you think he was dropping off product?” asked Hashimoto. “Doesn’t seem like the kind of thing someone is liable to mention.”
Damn. Kyoko scolded herself for slipping. You always had to be careful when talking to Takeshi Hashimoto, especially if you had a secret to keep. No one was better at putting the pieces of a puzzle together than her old mentor.
“I got into his apartment,” she admitted, staring down into the scotch. Already she could feel Hashimoto’s judgmental eyes boring a hole into her head.
“You’re not a cop anymore, Naka-chan. Private investigators have no extra rights or privileges than the average citizen. You push your luck, you could end up behind bars. Are you even aware that I could have you arrested for what you just told me?”
“We both know you aren’t going to do that, Sensei.”
Hashimoto grunted and tapped his cigarette on the edge of the ashtray. “No, I’m not. But I probably should.”
“The point is I got in there. And I found some pills. Took them to a friend of mine who confirmed they’re amphetamines.” Kyoko paused to sip her drink. “While I was there, someone else came in. Someone who had a key. It wasn’t Ichikawa, but he made a call, referred to the person on the line as Ichikawa. Right after he left a bag of pills on the dresser.”
“In other words, Ichikawa probably lied.”
“Maybe.” Kyoko took a drag on the cigarette. “I’ve got Nobu checking with some of his old contacts. See if anyone matching Ichikawa’s description has been around the dealers.”
Hashimoto groaned. “You know how risky that is? You start questioning those people, you might attract the wrong kind of attention.”
“I can deal with unwanted police attention, that I promise you,” she said.
“I know you can. I’m not worried about someone like Ryusuke Arima giving you trouble. What I’m worried about is bigger than that,” said Hashimoto. “You start sniffing around the drug trade, you start getting into yakuza territory. And you know what they can be like.”
“I know. But I also know that I have to find out what happened to this girl. Those amphetamines in her system, the pills I found at Ichikawa’s place, it all means something.”
Hashimoto finished his drink. “You want another?”
Kyoko looked at her glass and realized she was reaching the bottom as well. “Sure, maybe one more and then I should call it a night.”
The elder inspector raised his arm to signal to the bartender. Sho came over to them and refreshed both their drinks. Then he left them alone once more.
“You’re pushing this case with a pretty vigorous intensity,” said Hashimoto.
“Not sure what you mean.”
Hashimoto scoffed. “Oh come off it, Naka-chan. This case seemed pretty flimsy from the start, that’s why I couldn’t see any reason to pursue it any further. I figured you’d give that family some closure and they’d leave things alone. But now I find out you’re throwing yourself into this thing.”
Kyoko shook her head. “I don’t really know. Maybe I’m trying to make up for past mistakes.”
A sigh escaped Hashimoto’s lips before he took another sip. “That wasn’t your fault. You went as far as the law allowed.”
“And that was part of the problem—the law didn’t go far enough.”
“That’s not for us to decide. We start making decisions like that, we might as well toss out the constitution and go back to the days of the Kempeitai.”
“It’s not like the modern police aren’t guilty of some underhanded things. You and I both know that preserving that high conviction rate can and does take precedence over serving justice.”
Hashimoto smoked his cigarette in silence. Kyoko knew discussions like this unnerved him. After all, he was a legacy—lots of members of his family had served for Japan’s law enforcement. He wasn’t one to criticize the organization he’d dedicated his life to. But he also knew that Kyoko wasn’t wrong.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t want us to get into that old argument again. It never ends well.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Whether suicide or murder, that girl got a raw deal,” said Kyoko. “Seems like a row of dominos was set off because of Star Rise’s contractual terms.”
“There’s nothing you can do to stop that.”
“Maybe not. But I’m not going to just sit back and do nothing.”
“What’s your next move?”
“We have some leads we can look into. Right now, we’re just waiting to hear more.”
“Just be careful which cages you rattle,” said Hashimoto. “So far, you’re lucky the media hasn’t picked up on this yet. But if word of this gets out, it could mean you’ll be in for some unwanted exposure. That would complicate your investigation.”
He finished the last of the scotch and stood up from the bar. Hashimoto gestured to Sho and took out his wallet. “Drinks are on me tonight.”
“You don’t have to do that,” said Kyoko.
“I know, but you paid last time, least I can do.” Hashimoto settled the tab with Sho and placed a hand on Kyoko’s shoulder. “Keep your head out there, okay? Japan’s not as safe as people think. Especially if you upset the wrong people.”